George de laval



G. DE LAVAL.

DETONATING FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. 1911.

Patented July 22, 1919.

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T E: @ATES PATENT GEORGE DE LAVAL, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, 'ASSIGNOR TO T, A. GILLESPIE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, 1\T. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

DETONATING-FUSE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 1919.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE on LAVAL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Orange, county of Essex, tate of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Detonating-Fuses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to detonating fuses of a well-known type, in which the initial explosion arises by contact between the end of a firing pin and a detonator cap.

One of the objects of the invention is to rovide a mountin for the firin in which P s will hold the pin in correct position while the shell is in flight. Another object of the invention is to provide a mounting for afiring pin so that the pin need not be inserted until the shell is about to be used, so that any possibility of premature explosion of the shell by reason of the presence of the pin is obviated.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more fully described and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a detonating fuse of a wellknown type, showing my novel mounting for the firing pin; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the base of the firing pin in this mounting.

Fig. 3 represents an enlarged view of the end of the fuse with a modification of the mounting of the end of the firing pin.

The corresponding parts are referred to both in the drawings and in the specification by similar reference characters.

In the drawings 10 is the steel case of the detonator, which I have selected for purposes of illustration. Referring to the forms shown in Figs. 1 and 2, 11 is the head plug removably inserted in the case. 12 is the striker rod, carrying at its lower end the cap 13. The striker rod 12 is held normally in the position shown in Fig. 1 by the stirrup 14 and the ferrule 15. A spring 16 serves also to hold the striker rod in normal position.

The parts so far described are of wellknown construction, and no further description will be necessary.

Beneath the head plug 11 I insert a separate piece 17, which acts as a retainer or mounting for the base of the firing pin 18, which extends into the bore of the striker rod 12. Preferably the member 17 has a conical opening, and the base of the firing pin is made conical to fit this opening Also preferably the firing pin projects above the surface of member 17 so as to abut against the head plug 11.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3, the head plug 21 is provided with a threaded opening into which is secured the headless screw 22, the end of which forms the abutment for the firing pin 18. The opening for the screw 22-is large enough to permit the passage of the firing pin. 1

With my novelconstruction, the detonator, complete in all respects except for the insertion of the firing pin, may be inserted in the loaded shell with the head plug 11 or 21, in place, so that the shell can be shipped without the possibility of premature explosion because of the presence of the firing pin, the firing pin being handled separately.

l/Vhen the shell is to be used, the head plug 11 of Fig. 1 is unscrewed, the firing pin passed through the opening in the retainer 17 and the head plug again returned to position, when it will act as an abutment for the end of the firing pin.

When the modification of Fig. 3 is used, the loaded shell with the head plug 21 in place, but without the firing pin, may be shipped. WVhen the shell is to be used, the screw 22 is removed, the pin inserted, and the screw 22 returned to place.

Other modifications of my construction will be obvious to those skilled in the art and I do not desire to limit my invention to the specific forms which I have chosen for purposes of illustration only.

I claim:

In an impact fuse for explosive shells, in

combination, a body member having a central opening therein, a casing containing a striker rod 111 the openlng, a caslng retainer 111 the body member and adapted to hold the casing in position, a firing pin removably 10 inserted in the retaining member and a head plug removably inserted in the body member and adapted to abut against the end of Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

